A Day at the Beach
by Soelke
Summary: When the Okazakis, Furukawas, and Yoshinos go to the beach, Fuuko and Ushio get lost without even knowing it! Takes place after After Story, so there are spoilers in there.
1. Sneaking in Wooden Starfish

This is the first chapter of the first fanfiction I'm posting up here...It was originally intended to be a oneshot, but then I thought it would be a good idea to make chapters of them packing and other stuff besides Fuuko and Ushio getting lost. I'm guessing it'll be maybe 4 or 5 chapters or so. Erm...please bear with me, as I'm still kind of getting used to the way you put up stories here.

Disclaimer: Clannad belongs to Kyoto Animation. This is fan fiction.

* * *

~Intro~

A few weeks ago, the Okazaki family, the Yoshino family, and the Furukawa family (or rather, Nagisa's parents) all decided that they were going to go on a vacation together this summer. It was a well deserved break. Tomoya and Nagisa had been working hard at their jobs, and Kouko was expecting a child**. Of course, Akio and Sanae wanted to join their daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughter. Yusuke and Fuuko were not about to be left behind, either. The latter especially, since Ushio (Nagisa's and Tomoya's daughter) was going. So the grand total of people going on the trip? Eight people. This was going to be fun.

As for why they were going, Okazaki Shino—Tomoya's grandmother—had invited them. You probably didn't know this, but Shino owns a hotel complete with a hot spring, and it overlooks the most beautiful beach on this side of Japan. Tomoya would have brought more people, but they already had plans. So, it's just these eight people. Our story starts the night before these eight people depart for their trip. A.k.a., they're packing.

~The Yoshino's house~

"Fuu-chan, do you need help packing your suitcase?"

Ibuki Fuuko looked up from her starfish-patterned suitcase at the sound of her sister's voice. "Fuuko is a mature adult! She can pack a suitcase on her own!" she answered defiantly. There was a moment of silence that indicated Kouko's uncertainty.

"I'm coming in anyway," she replied, and opened up the door. The short-haired brunette had a beach towel folded over her arm, and her belly was larger than normal.

"Onee-chan, Fuuko said that she can pack on her own!" Fuuko retorted. Not only did she still look like a young teenager, despite being 26*, but she still had the mindset of one, too.

"Uwaah! Fuu-chan, what is all of this?!" Kouko gasped, staring at Fuuko's suitcase incredulously. Fuuko had packed nothing but wooden starfish. "What about clothes? Your swimsuit?"

"Fuuko needs these too, you know!" declared the starfish-crazed girl. She picked up one of the wooden starfish from the suitcase and held it to her chest. "After all…they're just…so……so…" In a flash, Fuuko was in her trance-like state. Kouko sighed and went over to her little sister's dresser. After she had picked out the clothes Fuuko would need for the trip, she went and started to take out the starfish from the suitcase.

"Aaaah! Onee-chan, what are you doing?! The starfish!!" Fuuko cried (now out of starfish-mode), desperately trying to save her seaside companions from the wrath of Kouko. Soon, her arms were so full of the wooden carvings that she couldn't afford to try catching any more, lest she drop the ones she was holding.

"You can't just have wooden starfish in your suitcase," Kouko replied tartly as she went for the bathroom, emerging moments later with a plastic basket of toiletries. She handed them to Fuuko, who reluctantly put them in the suitcase. When her sister wasn't looking, she snuck a wooden starfish into the basket, in between clothes, and so on.

Eventually, Kouko finished packing Fuuko's luggage. When she gave it an experimental lift, she grunted in surprise and dropped it. It landed with a _thud_ on the floor. It was heavy!

"Fuu-chan, what's in this?" she demanded. Fuuko emitted a cry of surprise—or maybe fear?—and hid behind one of her wooden starfish. Kouko opened the suitcase. Everything seemed normal: changes of clothes, toiletries, swimsuit, a towel…However, Kouko noticed the wooden starfish that was with the toiletries, and soon, Fuuko was shrieking as she tried to catch the wooden starfish she had snuck in; Kouko was throwing them all out.

"You can only take one starfish, and that's it!" Kouko cried exasperatedly. "Geez, Fuu-chan!"

* * *

* Since the story takes place after the After Story arc of Clannad, Fuuko is now 26 instead of 25. Everyone's one year older, I guess...

** Kouko and Yusuke are married, so I guess they were bound to have a child at some point. I dunno, a lot happens in a year?


	2. Ushio's Hobby

Awright, here's the second chapter. Ushio, would you like to do the honors?

Ushio: Clannad doesn't belong to Soelke! It belongs to Kyoto Animation and this is a fanfiction!

* * *

~The Okazaki's house~

"Shio-chan, would you come and help me pack your suitcase?" called Nagisa. Ushio looked up at the sound of her mother's voice. The six-year old was originally helping her parents pack, but the sight of her favorite coloring book waiting to be packed was just too much to bear. When her mother and father weren't looking, she had stolen away with it and took it into the other room to draw in. Now, it seemed as if Nagisa had become aware her daughter was no longer helping her.

"Cooommiiiinnng," Ushio shouted back, and thundered into the "main" room of the house. Her mother was sitting on the floor, the suitcase she and Ushio would share lying open on the floor. Her father, Tomoya, was no where in sight. He was probably getting toothbrushes and shampoo.

Ushio was very excited to go on this vacation. She wanted to go right away, but Nagisa said that they had to get ready first. Folding clothes and putting them in a suitcase was very boring for Ushio, but her parents insisted she help them pack.

Meanwhile, Tomoya was exiting the bathroom with his arms full of toiletries needed for the trip: shampoo, toothpaste, and the works. He smiled as he listened to the sounds of Ushio chattering excitedly to her mother. As he walked down the hall, he noticed Ushio's coloring book on the floor. Careful not to drop anything he was holding, Tomoya knelt down to observe the page the coloring book was open to.

It was a drawing of their family. In a childish scrawl and pastel crayons, Ushio had drawn Nagisa, Tomoya, and her standing in the field of yellow flowers they had so frequently visited. Smiling, Tomoya stood up again and went into the main room.

"Yo. Nice drawing back there, Ushio," said Tomoya as he handed Nagisa the shampoo. Nagisa looked up at her daughter and smiled.

"Shio-chan, you were drawing?" asked Nagisa. Ushio nodded.

"Yeah…I was drawing, I was drawing the field of flowers we visited last year," the little girl replied. Standing up, she ran out of the room and reappeared moments later with her coloring book. She held it out to Nagisa. "See," she said.

Nagisa flipped the book right-side up to get a better look. After a few minutes, she replied happily, "Wow, this is great, Shio-chan! Do you like to draw?" Ushio put a finger to her cheek and tilted her head in thought.

"…I do!" she finally replied, smiling from ear to ear. Nagisa handed the book back to her.

"I see. Why don't you take this with you as a carry-on?" she asked. Ushio nodded cheerfully.

Later, after the family had finished packing, Ushio was scribbling in her coloring book while Nagisa and Tomoya were talking over coffee.

"Uuu! It's bitter!" Nagisa squealed, cringing after taking a sip. She went and poured five sticks of sugar, stirring it in with a spoon.

"Hey, Nagisa, what do you think about Ushio's drawings?" asked Tomoya. He glanced at his daughter, who was trying to draw the fan. She giggled every time the fan revolved in her direction, blowing wind in her face and throwing back her hair.

"Well…what I think is that Shio-chan's found a passion for something. Look how happy she is when she draws," Nagisa replied sagely. "I think we should encourage her."

"Well, that's obvious," said Tomoya. "I'm just surprised that she's found a hobby so soon."

"Daddy! I drew you!" yelled Ushio, running across the room and jumping on Tomoya's lap. He grunted in pain.

"R-really? Let me see," Tomoya said. Ushio grinned and handed him the coloring book. Tomoya took one look at it and let out a cry of shock.

It looked like Ushio had tried to draw the fan, but gave up halfway through and drew Tomoya's face in the middle instead. In short, it was the creepiest thing he had ever seen. Yes, even creepier than that dream he had after eating the pie Kotomi gave him when he was in high school. "How is it?" Ushio asked eagerly, staring up at her father with sparkling eyes.

"Yes, how is it?" chimed Nagisa, setting down her coffee mug. Poor Tomoya was sweating bullets as he looked at Ushio, then Nagisa, then Ushio again. Gulping, he tried to sound as convincing as possible.

"It's…its really good!" he cried, obviously lying. Ushio leapt up in the air and cheered.

"YEAAAH!"

Whatever style Ushio would draw, Tomoya desperately hoped that it wouldn't be macabre. This drawing was scary enough, and Ushio was only six years old.

* * *

Well...The next chapter will be the train ride and everyone arriving at the beach, I guess.


	3. Train Ride

Disclaimer! Clannad belongs to KyoAni! This is purely a work of fanfiction and I don't own any of these characters!

In any case, this chapter was a bit of a pain to write. Well, next chapter is when they're actually on the beach, so it should be smooth sailing from there.

* * *

"I can see the ocean!"

It was the next day, and everyone was on the train. Since there were so many people in the party, they had gotten an entire compartment to themselves. Their luggage was secured in storage areas overhead, and Fuuko and Ushio had rolled down the window to get a better view. Salty sea air blew into the compartment, ruffling everyone's hair. Empty bento boxes sat stacked on the seat; they had long since eaten lunch.

"Ushio, Fuuko, be careful. You're going to fall out," Tomoya said, although he knew that they weren't really going to fall out. The girls ignored him.

"It's fine, don't spoil it for 'em," said Akio, who was sitting next to Sanae. He started for a cigarette, but Tomoya gave him the death glare, causing him to sheepishly put away the evil drugs. With Ushio and Fuuko frequenting the Furukawa's bakery, Tomoya, Kouko, Yusuke, Sanae, and Nagisa had been pressuring him to quit. Fuuko and Ushio, of course, were oblivious.

Fuuko gave him a thumbs up and a wink that one would only see on a magical girl show. _Someone _was staying up watching anime. Tomoya rolled his eyes and grinned wryly.

"If an old man with lots of experience says its okay, then it's okay!" exclaimed Fuuko. Akio nodded, and then realized Fuuko was calling him old. Akio just didn't like the idea of being old.

"I am not old yet!" he yelled. "If there's anything that's old, it's the bread that Sanae brought with her! It's just leftovers from last week that were never sold!" Sanae, who was happily holding a basket on her lap, suddenly looked shocked and started to tear up. Ignoring him, Fuuko turned back to the window.

"My bread…" Sanae whimpered, clutching the handle of the basket. "My bread…is the only old thing on this train, isn't it?!" Wailing, she ran out the door of the compartment, probably headed towards the lavatories for a good cry. Akio realized what he had done and regretted it. Now there was a rampaging Sanae on the train!

"I LOVE THEEEMMM!" Akio bellowed, stuffing the bread into his mouth and chasing her. Everyone watched them for a moment, and then figured that they would work things out on their own.

"Fuuko can't wait until we get there…Ushio-chan! You and Fuuko are going to go starfish hunting!" squealed Fuuko, glomping an unsuspecting Ushio. Immediately, she went into starfish-mode.

"Do you have to hug her over everything?" Tomoya asked, exasperated. Nagisa giggled.

"Now, now, Tomoya-kun, it's fine," said Nagisa. "I'm just as excited, actually. I look forward to these vacations." Tomoya, seeing the happy look on his wife's face, immediately softened up.

"Yeah. Yeah, they are great," he replied in agreement. Although his daughter and her friend were always two steps ahead of him (or two steps behind?), there was never a dull moment when they were around. And Nagisa and everyone else, he loved to be with them.

Tomoya stopped his train of thought to look around at everyone. Akio's cries of "I love them!" echoed down the corridor. Kouko was reading a light novel, and Yusuke had fallen asleep on his chair. Ushio and Fuuko, of course, were squealing over the ocean, which was now in plain sight.

Meanwhile, Nagisa had joined Fuuko and Ushio at the window:

"Nagisa-san! Fuuko can see boats out there, look!" Fuuko waved her arm, beckoning Nagisa.

"Is that so? Let me see!" Nagisa got up from her seat and went over to the window, putting a hand on Ushio's shoulder. "You're right! Wow, what a beautiful view!"

*

Soon, the roofs of houses and leafy treetops were replaced by the familiar rolling fields of golden flowers as the train sloped upwards. Every now and then there was a sign post, or a civilian walking their dog. The train was now at level with any tree it happened to pass.

The train soon chugged to a halt in front of the lone station. As soon as the gears stopped moving, the song of cicadas took over. People started to leave the train noisily, dragging their luggage or briefcases with them. Fuuko and Ushio cheered loudly. The sound of the waves lapping against the hill and the cries of cicadas was just enough for them to lose all patience.

"Yay!!"

"We're here, we're finally here! Let's go!"

The two girls tramped around the compartment noisily. They danced passed Yusuke, who Kouko was waking up, and Nagisa and Tomoya, who were getting their luggage. Nagisa looked out the window and smiled at the sky. It was perfect: the brilliant blue sky was dotted with lazy, fluffy clouds, and a warm breeze was blowing. The beach would be heaven on a day like this.

"Calm down," Tomoya said, trying to calm the children down (well, Fuuko was an adult). "Here's your suitcase, Fuuko, Ushio."

When everyone left the train, Yusuke stepped out dramatically.

"Today," he remarked, "Is the day that summer truly starts. The hearts of children are freed as they step onto unfamiliar soil, when they breathe in a different kind of air. For all the children in the world, vacation is a truly wonderful…."

"Fuuko is going to leave you behind if you don't hurry!" shouted Fuuko interrupting Yusuke's speech. With this remark, Yusuke realized that everyone else was already halfway to the station, where they had planned to meet Shino. And so, this marks the beginning of their beach getaway!

* * *

Annnd that was chapter three! This story will be six chapters long, so I'm halfway done.


	4. On the Beach

Hello, this is the fourth chapter of A Day at the Beach. Wow, this is the shortest chapter I've written so far. I've decided to compress the next two chapters into one chapter, so there's only one chapter left now.

Disclaimer: Neither Clannad nor its characters belong to me! This is fanfiction!

* * *

What activities do you do at the beach? Do you snorkel? Do you windsurf? Or do you do nothing?

As you know, the only activity Fuuko wants to do is starfish hunting. It is an intense sport, where you brave slippery rocks and harsh waves to look for the most amazing underwater animal in the world: the sea star.

Today, this will be the hunt of all hunts. Fuuko is not alone this time; she has a friend with her. And together, they will find more starfish than anyone has ever found!

"Hey, Fuuko, stop narrating and help me set up this umbrella," Tomoya snapped. He was struggling to get the beach parasol to open all the way, but it kept getting stuck. "Who brought this thing, anyway?" he growled as he battled with it.

"Oh my, Tomoya-kun, that's our umbrella," Nagisa responded. She and Kouko were sitting on a towel, not helping at all. Tomoya flushed in embarrassment.

"That's right…It's our umbrella," he said to himself. Fuuko ran over, pushed Tomoya out of the way, and gave the runner* of the umbrella a sharp tug. Like magic, it popped open as if nothing was wrong. "Ugh." Tomoya groaned. He did not like to be bested by someone who looked and acted like they were still in primary school.

"Now that that's done, let's go starfish hunting, Ushio-chan!!" Fuuko yelled, grabbing the little girl's hand and running off like a dangerous kidnapper. Yusuke, who was making his way into the water with a surfboard, watched them pass by with mild interest.

"Be careful!" Nagisa called.

* * *

As Fuuko and Ushio ran, they passed Akio and Sanae. They were taking a walk.

"You two sure are in a rush. What are you doing?" asked Akio.

"Starfish hunting!" said Fuuko, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. "After all, starfish are just so….so…." Before she could finish her sentence, Fuuko had lapsed back into her starfish-mode. Akio and Sanae looked at each other, while Ushio tugged at Fuuko's hand ("Fuuko-neechan, let's goooo!").

"Well, you should hurry. Otherwise, all the good starfish will be gone," Sanae commented, playing along. With that said, she and Akio resumed their walk. Fuuko snapped out of her daze with realization.

"They're right! The good starfish will be gone!" she cried, and dashed off with little Ushio in tow.

* * *

Meanwhile, Kouko and Nagisa sat talking under the umbrella, watching Yusuke surf. Tomoya had gone to get everyone drinks from the vending machine.

"Where do you think they're going to go?" Kouko asked out of the blue.

"What do you mean?" Nagisa looked at Kouko, puzzled.

"I mean, where are Fuu-chan and Ushio-chan going to go to look for starfish? I don't think they know the beach very well…" the former art teacher said.

"Don't worry!" said Nagisa. "This is a private beach. It's quite small, so they'll be able to find their way back easily without getting into any trouble." She looked back at the towel shack. "I wonder if Tomoya-kun got the drinks yet."

Although Nagisa was right, she underestimated just how easily those two could get lost.

* * *

*The runner of an umbrella is what you push up on when you open an umbrella...I looked it up on Wikipedia.


	5. The End of the Day

Thank God! After all that procrastination, I finally finished the last chapter! And right on time, too (the first day of school is tomorrow).

Disclaimer: Clannad does not belong to me! This is purely fanfiction!

* * *

Farther down the beach, there was a pleasant little rock pool. The water was clear enough so that one could see the green sea vegetation that grew on the bottom. Snails clung to the rocks, and every now and then, little fish darted between the cracks in the rocks. But the most important features of the rock pool were the many starfish that were plastered to the rocks that were submerged in water.

This peaceful scene, of course, was disrupted by Fuuko and Ushio, who suddenly arrived at the rock pool.

"Fishy!" Ushio gasped, pointing to a school of tiny silver fish. She reached into the water to grab them, but they scattered.

"Where are the starfish?!" Fuuko shouted. She plunged her hand into the water, splashing Ushio with salt water. She groped around in the water, and felt along the walls until…

_Squish._

"Squish?" Fuuko asked to no one in particular. She looked back to Ushio, who was trying to pluck snails from the rocks. She looked down at her hand. Right there, under her finger, was a blue-and-orange starfish. Fuuko's eyes widened. She peeled the sea creature off of the wall and onto the sand.

"Star…..Starfish…!" Fuuko squealed, overcome by delight. Ushio turned to see what had happened, and saw that Fuuko had lapsed back into starfish mode. She was now happily poking the starfish.

At that moment, a familiar tune started to play, and bright gold letters flashed up on the screen:

"Mastered 'Find Starfish'!"

Ushio was confused, so she joined in on poking the starfish, too. However, they were to busy to realize that the people they came with were no where in sight.

* * *

"Fuu-chan and Shio-chan have been gone a long time," Nagisa commented. Tomoya, who had just finished chugging down his tenth can of juice, turned to face her.

"Really?" he asked.

"Yes….They've been gone a long time, and it's getting dark," Nagisa fretted. At that moment, Kouko and Yusuke approached them. Yusuke looked winded from surfing; his dark blue hair was plastered to his face and his surfboard was under his arm.

"Nagisa-chan, Okazaki-san, have you seen Fuu-chan at all?" Kouko asked, worried. Nagisa and Tomoya looked at each other, shocked.

"What if something happened to them?!"

"You mean they've really gone missing?"

"Nagisa! Where's Sanae-san and Pops? Do they know where Ushio and Fuuko went?"

Tomoya threw on a t-shirt and grabbed a flashlight. He set off running down the beach, yelling, and "I'm going to go looking for them!"

"Tomoya-kun! Wait for me!" Nagisa and Kouko ran after him. They went at a slower pace, of course, because Kouko was pregnant.

* * *

A lot of time had passed. Fuuko was now surrounded by starfish, poking all of them in a state of euphoria. Ushio was crouched in the sand, watching a crab scuttling about the rocks.

Neither of them seemed to notice that it was getting darker. The Sun, blazing orange, left a blazing trail across the water as it dipped lower and lower. The water was now dark and glassy, and kept on washing up on the shore.

Fuuko was so happy now; she did not notice that it was night. She did not notice that they were lost or that she was cold and drenched in salt water. Ushio, although she didn't know they were lost, knew that they were both cold and wet. She also noticed the crabs that occasionally scuttled across the sand, some big enough to scare her. Soon enough, Ushio fell asleep on Fuuko's shoulder while wondering when the adults were going to come and take them home.

At that moment, there was a flash of light in the distance. Fuuko snapped out of her euphoric state and looked up. What _was _that?

The light grew brighter. Now, it was accompanied by muffled yells. The worried shouts grew louder, and there were more lights.

Tomoya came running down the beach, waving and shouting. He held the flashlight in front of him like a beacon. In a way, it was a reminiscent of Fuuko's long-forgotten dream back when she was still distributing starfish.

"Ushiiiiiooo! Fuuukooooo!" Tomoya yelled. Nagisa and Kouko were calling out with him.

"Ah, Okazaki-san, Nagisa-san, Onee-chan," Fuuko said simply. "Is it time to go home?"

"What are you talking about?!" Tomoya groaned, stopping to catch his breath. "We couldn't find you guys anywhere!"

Nagisa, on the other hand, was in a more forgiving mood. As soon as Ushio and Fuuko were in sight, she ran to them and caught them both in a big hug.

"Are you two okay?!" Nagisa cried. Kouko sat down on a boulder jutting out of the sand, tired from running down the beach.

"We're okay!" Fuuko replied cheerfully. "There are so many starfish here…it's like the Starfish Festival!"

"And what kind of festival is that?" Tomoya asked, exasperated.

"Um…I don't know!" Fuuko giggled. "But the starfish. They're so…." She went back into starfish-mode as soon as her gaze returned to her seaside friends in the sand. Tomoya face faulted.

"Well, we should go back and get the others," Kouko panted. "Fuu-chan, aren't you cold?" Fuuko ignored her sister and continued poking the starfish.

Tomoya hoisted Ushio onto his back, seeing that she was asleep. "Geez…We can't keep you two out of our sight for a second. That's an interesting find, though." He looked over at the rock pool Ushio and Fuuko had found.

As Nagisa went to help Kouko to her feet, Tomoya's attention returned to Fuuko, who was still sitting in the sand, cuddling the starfish. He took her wrist in his hand and pulled her to her feet, but Fuuko was still in a daze from holding the starfish. Whatever. They had to get back to the others.

* * *

When Fuuko came around, she was in the hotel room. Surprised, the girl looked around at her surroundings. Kouko was sitting next to her on the bed, her feet propped up on a pillow as she read her light novel. Yusuke was watching something on TV. Fuuko then realized that she was wearing her pajamas.

"Ahhh! How did Fuuko get here?!" Fuuko cried out, startling Kouko and Yusuke.

"Oh, Fuu-chan…Why, you walked back to the hotel with us, of course," Kouko replied, smiling warmly.

"Why is Fuuko in her pajamas? She last remembered being in a swimsuit!"

"Well, everyone went and took baths after we got back to the hotel. We can't have you catching a cold, you know." This was Yusuke who replied.

"Where's the starfish?!"

"Okazaki-san released the starfish back into its natural habitat. It's illegal to take starfish and other sea life from the beach, didn't you know that?"

"Ahhhhhhh!" Fuuko screamed, tugging at her hair. "The starfish…nooooo…."

"Fuu-chan, calm down!" Kouko set down her light novel to comfort Fuuko. "There were starfish in the aquarium in the lobby, remember? You can see those tomorrow!"

"Really?" Fuuko's eyes lit up. Kouko sighed. Yusuke turned his attention back to the TV.

"Yes, Fuu-chan, you can."

"YES!" Fuuko leapt up for joy.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the Okazakis' room, Tomoya reclined on the bed with his arms folded behind his head. Ushio and Sanae had fallen asleep while watching a movie on the TV. Akio, however, was still awake and watching the movie. Suddenly, Tomoya and Nagisa were startled by Fuuko's muffled cries of surprise.

"Looks like she was in 'that state' the entire time," Tomoya said, smirking.

"Yes, she was. She didn't even realize what was going on when we were taking a bath. Ibuki-sensei and I had to put her pajamas on for her, she was so out of it," Nagisa said. "I wonder if she's okay?" she added in a slightly worried tone.

"She was in 'that state' the entire time, then?" Tomoya asked.

"Yes," replied Nagisa.

"Yes!" Tomoya sat up and pumped his fist in victory.

At that moment, the game tune played again, and a yellow banner appeared on screen:

"Mastered 'Leaving Her in a Different Place'!"

"Geez, Tomoya-kun!"

* * *

Well, that's the end of my first "serious" fanfic. Thank you to those who read the fanfic. I hope you enjoyed it. Thank you to those who left reviews. I appreciate your feedback and advice!


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